Oh What a Lovely War

An addition to Tagora’s play-reading programme: Wednesday 24 March, 18.30, 7th-floor bar, B Building, Council of Europe

Louise Palmer writes:

Oh What a Lovely War was conceived and produced by Joan Littlewood and her company, Theatre Workshop, in 1963 and later made into a film directed by Richard Attenborough. This “entertainment” is a theatrical chronicle of the First World War, told through song and dance, comedy and documents of the period. Amongst other awards, the original show received the Grand Prix of the Théâtre des Nations in Paris.

It is a production of immense technical complexity, but one, which I believe, to be ideally suited not only to our multi-lingual membership – there is even a part for a native of Luxembourg – but to the ethos of the Council of Europe. The size of the cast is flexible and the amount of French and German in the original text could be expanded.

It is offered for your consideration as a long-term project (2005/6) and to this end, we’ll be holding a selected reading and singsong of the show on Wednesday 24 March at 18.30 in the Bar on the 7th Floor of B Building. John Wilson has kindly agreed to accompany the songs on the piano.

As always, we ask you to tell us if you’re planning to come. Scripts will be arranged accordingly. Contact Tagora using the menu above.

Oh! It's a Lovely War!: song lyric and original(?) recording • Oh! What a Lovely War: the film • About Joan Littlewood